Tuesday, March 6, 2018

Making sweet music together

The other day a received a note from a man I do not know.
Gregg Holley wrote to me about the band his wife Mina plays in. He hoped I’d be
interested in writing a story for the small paper I work for about an upcoming
Spring Concert.

I was.

The Wellington Community Band, 15 members strong, is hard at
work practicing for a performance in mid-April featuring favorite music from
films. They meet every Monday night at a church in Wellington, a community of
7,000 souls 12 miles north of Fort Collins and the last town along I-25 before
the Wyoming border and Cheyenne.

Like several of the small towns surrounding Fort Collins,
Wellington is experiencing a growth spurt, for better or worse. But so far, it
remains a tight-knit community, proud of its heritage which includes a genuine
concern for the importance of coming together to make music and to make
friends.

There are no tryouts. Everyone is welcome. Over time members
have ranged in age from 9 to 84. Grandpa
Murrell Johnson, tuba, his son Craig, euphonium, and granddaughter Emily, flute,
make up one-fifth of the band. There’s a lawyer, a professor, a p.e. teacher, a
stay-at-home mom, an accountant, a nurse and an engineer among the members.

Four annual concerts are free, supported by members who bake
cookies and sell them at intermission during performances. Change is never a
problem. Every item is a buck.

Long-time middle school band director, Linda Anderson
donates her time and energy and lavishes affection on the players. “Music. It’s
our common thread,” she says.

The band got started several years ago when euphonium player
Bob Williams decided that Wellington’s Fourth of July parade was suffering for
lack of some rousing music. He recruited from townspeople, some who had not
played an instrument for as long as 17 years. Linda Anderson stepped up to
direct and the Wellington Community Band was born.

After enlivening the Fourth of July parade, their most
public performance, the band heads to the park to give a concert. Other
concerts are on Veterans Day, Christmas and in the spring. The people of Wellington
look forward to every one.

I came away with a warm feeling inside, once again
understanding why I keep writing for the North Forty News. It allows me to have
experiences that enrich and encourage me despite the national news.

About Me

I'm a writer and small time entrepreneur with a company called "oldBags." I create note cards, book marks and coasters incorporating used tea bags as tiny canvases for my work.
Blogging is an opportunity for me to share my writing and and "teabagging" projects.